Balancing ACT

Due to evolution we have developed three main strategies for survival that, although very useful for the survival of our species, do have an emotional cost and make us suffer.

Firstly, our parietal lobes in our frontal cortex create the feeling of our separateness from the world. It creates the sensation of a boundary between us and the world, and also between one mental state and another, this together with socially learnt verbal descriptions that define “good” or “bad” mental states, with each being quantitatively separate from the other. That is to say, us separated from the world and our own internal private events also separated from each other.

Secondly, our body struggles continually to maintain stability. Homeostasis is our body’s way of maintaining optimal levels, if we are hot; we are driven to find shade, if we are cold to find shelter. If our levels of energy and nutrients drop below a certain point, then we are driven to find food. This is a very complex balancing act, in that we must remain open to inputs from the external environment, but also our system must remain centred around an adequate set point, not too hot, not too cold. This balance is achieved by two systems within our central nervous system, the limbic system, which arouses and our prefrontal cortex which inhibits.

Thirdly and again related to our limbic system and our prefrontal cortex, is our impulse to approach opportunities and at the same time to avoid threats. Chasing carrots or avoiding snakes. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is activated when we encounter things that have been associated with reward in the past.  Why a glass of cold water tastes so damned good on a hot sunny day, dopamine is setting up a reward system for future associations. The desire part is created by the cingulate gyrus, which gives us the motivation to do something rewarding, and the dopamine is what rewards us after.

Each of these survival strategies works well in most cases, but they do have costs when we consider three important facts about the world in which we live:

1)      Everything is connected: we form part of the food chain, the energy that enables us to eat comes from the sun, trees provide us oxygen and we provide them with carbon dioxide. Our ability to interpret facial expressions and language means our path is inextricably entwined with that of others. Our bodily sensations become thoughts feelings and memories all intertwined in a stream of continuous consciousness. Our attempts to separate ourselves from the environment and our consciousness are frequently frustrated.

2)      Everything keeps changing: on an internal level our neural system is changing continuously at the rate of about 5 to 8 times a second. Our stream of consciousness must be temporarily parted to allow for the formation of a single thought as neural synapses is organised into some sort of coherence. A moment or an experience that we desperately try to hold onto is gone in a moment and disappears from our consciousness as though sand through our fingers. Any sensations we may have of being able to control continuity, both internal and external are just fleeting moments.

3)      Opportunities are routinely missed and many threats are unavoidable: We regularly fail to take advantage of opportunities, or those that we achieve loose their shine quickly and fail to satisfy us as we expected. Studies show that even lottery winners, very quickly return to a baseline level of satisfaction. Things that previously motivated us, very quickly bore us. Lastly, some threats are just unavoidable. Getting old or dying are good examples of unavoidable threats. Our attempts to avoid threats, creates a generalized background of anxiety, which at times and for some people can be intense and unpleasant.